Dodgers Let Bats Do the Talking

San Diego General Manager Kevin Towers inadvertently started something with the Dodgers in spring training, and the Dodgers apparently plan to finish it on their terms.

With Towers’ comments attacking their character providing extra incentive, the Dodgers continued their strong start against San Diego with a 7-5 victory Thursday night at Petco Park.

The Dodgers took two of three from the Padres for the second time in as many series, improving to 4-2 against them and showing they might have some character after all. The Dodgers are still saying the correct things publicly about Towers’ comments, insisting they’ve moved on, but privately acknowledged a message had been sent.

“They’ve had our number the last couple of years, and we’ve still got [13] more games against them, so I guess we’ll wait until we’re done playing them at the end of the year, but it just feels good because we’re playing good baseball,” said catcher Paul Lo Duca, who extended his hitting streak to nine games.

“We’re just doing everything right. We’re playing good defense, getting timely hits and getting good pitching when we need to. We’re playing good, solid baseball, and it’s a good feeling.”

On Thursday, the Dodgers rallied from an early 3-0 deficit as starter Hideo Nomo struggled through five innings, scoring four runs in the third inning to take command in front of 40,104. Light-hitting second baseman Alex Cora was the unlikely catalyst on offense with a triple, double, two runs and a walk.

Closer Eric Gagne bailed out the Dodgers after Tom Martin and Guillermo Mota struggled in relief, working the final 1 1/3 innings for his second save of 2004 and major league-record 65th in a row since Aug. 28, 2002.

The Dodgers did receive some bad news -- first baseman and cleanup batter Shawn Green left the game in the fifth because of a strained right groin he said he suffered while scoring from second on Juan Encarnacion’s single in the third. Green, listed as day-to-day, said he hoped to play tonight in the opener of a three-game series against the San Francisco Giants at SBC Park.

“I felt it coming around third,” Green said. “It was a little more of a tug, it wasn’t a sharp jolt. It’s sore. It’s not horrible.”

Cora’s triple got the Dodgers started in a four-run third that featured five two-out hits, and they produced 11 hits after getting 13 in Wednesday’s 11-4 blowout victory. Newcomers Milton Bradley and Encarnacion added to their strong starts -- combining for five hits and four runs batted in -- as the Dodgers reveled in a victory over Padre nemesis Brian Lawrence (1-1), who defeated the Dodgers on opening day and was 8-3 with a 1.95 earned-run average against them beginning play.

“It always looks like it’s a guaranteed win for them with that guy against us,” said Cora, three for 21 entering the game. “To get down, 3-0, and come back the way we did ... that was good.

“We didn’t do that last year and it costs us. We’ve won three series in a row against our division, and that’s the way you win pennants. You’ve got to beat the guys from your division if you’re going to win it.”

Things started badly for Nomo (2-1), who gave up the Padres’ first two home runs in Petco Park in the first inning to Mark Loretta and Phil Nevin. Lawrence added an RBI single in the second to give himself a three-run cushion, but then Nomo improved enough during the remainder of his short outing.

Nomo gave up six hits and three earned runs, walking two without a strikeout while throwing 50 strikes in 84 pitches. The Dodgers were pleased because Nomo fared better than he did in losing the opener to San Diego, 8-2.

Green is encouraged about the offense.

“The way we’ve struggled against the Padres the last ... well, ever since I’ve been in L.A., it’s nice to come out and win the first two series,” he said. “We struggled as a team at Qualcomm [Stadium, the Padres’ former home], so hopefully things can change....

“They’re a great team and they’re going to be in the race throughout the season. They’ve got probably the best lineup in the National League.”